凶多吉少 — “More ominous than auspicious”
凶多吉少 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe a situation where the prospects are dim, with more dangers or misfortunes anticipated than good fortunes; indicating a perilous or ominous outlook”. Literally, “more ominous than auspicious”.
凶多吉少 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 凶xiōng
- 多duō
- 吉jí
- 少shǎo
凶多吉少 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 凶多吉少
Origin and Story of 凶多吉少
During their journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Xuanzang (Tang Monk) and his three disciples, after rescuing the king of Wuji Kingdom, continued their westward travels. They soon arrived amidst towering mountains and precipitous ridges.
Monkey King, noticing the strong presence of demonic energy in the mountains, warned Xuanzang that their prospects here were '凶多吉少' (more ominous than auspicious) and advised extreme caution.
At this very moment, the demon Red Boy, disguised as a child who had been robbed and tied to a tree, attempted to deceive Xuanzang into showing compassion. However, Monkey King promptly saw through Red Boy's sinister plot.
Idioms Related to 凶多吉少
Synonyms of 凶多吉少
Antonyms of 凶多吉少
More idioms starting with 凶
- xiōng凶chuǎn喘fū肤hàn汗panting and sweating profusely
- xiōng凶nián年è恶suì岁years of famine and disaster
- xiōng凶nián年jī饥suì岁years of famine and hardship
- xiōng凶cán残chéng成xìng性cruel and brutal by nature
- xiōng凶xiàng相bì毕lù露reveal one's true ferocious nature
- xiōng凶shén神è恶shà煞fierce-looking and malevolent fiend
- xiōng凶shù竖dé得zhì志Wicked scoundrels getting their way
- xiōng凶zhōng终xì隙wèi未friendship ends in hostility
- xiōng凶zhōng终xì隙mò末friendship ends in animosity
Questions about 凶多吉少
- What does 凶多吉少 mean?
- 凶多吉少 (xiōng duō jí shǎo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to describe a situation where the prospects are dim, with more dangers or misfortunes anticipated than good fortunes; indicating a perilous or ominous outlook”.
- How do you pronounce 凶多吉少?
- 凶多吉少 is pronounced xiōng duō jí shǎo in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 凶多吉少 literally mean?
- Literally, 凶多吉少 means “more ominous than auspicious”. It is used to mean “to describe a situation where the prospects are dim, with more dangers or misfortunes anticipated than good fortunes; indicating a perilous or ominous outlook”.
- Where does 凶多吉少 come from?
- 凶多吉少 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 凶多吉少?
- 凶：不幸；吉：吉利。指估计事态的发展趋势不妙，凶害多，吉利少。